PRESS RELEASE FOR DANCE LIMERICK – LIMERICK’S NEW CONTEMPORARY DANCE HUB
Dance Limerick, a new support and development organisation for professional dance artists launches in Limerick city. Funded by the Arts Council and Limerick City Council, Dance Limerick has taken up residency in the impressive dance space at the former St John’s Church, which had previously been occupied by Daghdha Dance Company.
Dance Limerick’s Director Jenny Traynor is leading the charge to reinvigorate dance in Limerick city. Jenny Traynor has a solid track history in contemporary dance having managed CoisCéim Dance Theatre, one of Ireland’s leading dance companies, for over ten years. Ms Traynor has also previously worked at Project Arts Centre and the Arts Council. Commenting on the launch of Dance Limerick Ms Traynor says:
“The facilities at John’s Square are absolutely phenomenal and I am delighted to have the opportunity to programme these world class facilities for dance artists and dance audiences in Limerick.”
Dance Limerick will officially launch at 7pm on Thursday 3rd October in the Church, now known as the Daghdha Space, John’s Square. Choreographer Mary Nunan has been commissioned to create a performance especially for the event. An established and well regarded choreographer Mary Nunan is Course Director of the MA in Contemporary Dance Performance at the University of Limerick and was also the founding Artistic Director of Daghdha Dance Company.
“It is really fitting that Mary Nunan is creating a commissioned piece for the launch of Dance Limerick. Mary is responsible for so much of the excellence in dance that has happened in Limerick city in the last 25 years. In some way, Mary embodies dance in the Limerick region and I’m really excited to have her piece as part of our launch.” says Jenny Traynor.
Mary Nunan’s commissioned performance will feature five female dancers, and is set to the 2nd movement of Schubert’s String Quintet. A celebration of dance and of the beautiful space at Dance Limerick the performance resonates with the lyrical beauty of Schubert’s composition. Commenting on her commission for Dance Limerick Mary says:
“In working on this piece I really wanted to celebrate the capacity that the dancers have and bring a layer of subtlety and detail to relatively simple movements. It takes a lot of skill and sensitivity to do this so I’m delighted to have this opportunity to work with what I consider to be some of the best dancers in Ireland in choreographing this work. I rarely work with music so taking Schubert’s composition as my starting point was very unusual for me. What I’ve really tried to do here is to get inside the music with movement, in essence to get in under the music.”
Tickets for the launch of Dance Limerick are available via facebook www.facebook.com/dancelimerickhub
Following the launch in October, Dance Limerick will offer a programme of performances, residency opportunities, master classes, talks and lectures. The programme to the end of 2013 includes performances by the Liz Roche Company, CoisCéim and the Donnellan Dance Company.
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